Field of the Embodiments
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to electrical power and, more specifically, to opportunistic charging of an electronic device.
Description of the Related Art
Use of electronic devices, such as smartphones, activity trackers, smart watches, wireless headphones, etc., is becoming increasingly popular in all aspects of daily life. Such devices enable users to communicate with friends and family, enjoy various types of entertainment media, and track different aspects of their productivity.
In recent years, the sizes of components included in electronic devices (e.g., processors and memory chips) have been significantly reduced. As a result, electronic device manufacturers commonly seek to distinguish their products from competitors' products by providing small form factors that retain high-performance characteristics. However, as device size is reduced, the size of the battery included in the device is typically reduced as well, decreasing the total amount of energy that can be stored. Additionally, although processor and memory sizes and efficiencies have steadily improved over recent years, battery performance (e.g., energy storage capacity) has not changed significantly. Consequently, many electronic devices require frequent recharging, typically once a day or more.
Accordingly, techniques that enable a user to more effectively charge an electronic device would be useful.